Episode 1: The Boy Name Kim Seu-Rong

Fifty years ago, reality became twisted when gates to various dimensions randomly appeared worldwide. From those gates came an invasion of monsters and demons; thus descended a long hellish nightmare on humankind.

 Around the globe, the death toll number climbed at an astronomical rate. Catastrophic changes were happening to our ecosystem, and humanity was on the verge of being wiped out.

Humanity had lost all hope. During the fifth year of the invasion, however, a select number of humans began going through an evolution called 'metamorphosis' which altered their physique and gifted them special abilities.

These people became widely known as 'Players.'

Gathering their forces, Players fought against the monsters and prevailed through battles as this was the turning point for humanity to begin to reclaim pieces of their lost country.

Faced with the new changes these creatures have caused to the land, society began rebuilding and created barriers to fend off the monsters' invasion.

Thus humanity, once again, started to flourish.

* * *

In a small apartment where the paint was chipping off the wall, a mouse scurried across the floor, running back into the small hole in the wall. Seu-Rong, who laid on the couch asleep, awoke from his slumber. Only to be momentarily blinded by the small burst of light creeping through the curtains.

Poking his arm out of the blanket, his hand rummaged across the coffee table, knocking down an empty cup of eaten noodles, before finally picking up his phone and groaned. "Crap! I gotta get up or risk being late."

Despite how much he wanted to sleep a couple more hours, Seu-Rong knew he had to get up, scratching a hand through his wild nest of wavy black hair. The scrawny young man placed his feet on the floor and cursed at the coldness before leaving the living room, which was small when shared with the kitchen, and made his way to the bathroom where he took a shower.

Once finished, he brushed his teeth and changed into a long-sleeved black shirt that, when placed on him, looked twice as big, the sleeves engulfing his frail arms. Paired with the shirt was a pair of faded old jeans, and he tied a pair of old tennis shoes on his feet.

Once dressed, Seu-Rong started breakfast, fixing enough for only one person as there wasn't much food in the refrigerator and cabinet. Once breakfast was finished and placed on a plate, he wrapped it in plastic before setting it on the table.

"Mom should be up in an hour," Seu-Rong muttered to himself, placing a cap over his head, and walked out the door.

Ignoring the small crowd of people lingering on the city streets during this time in the morning, Seu-Rong stopped at a local food truck, known for their low prices of food even though the taste was horrible. He brought himself a small bowl of hot soup that did the job of filling up his stomach.

After dumping the plastic bowl in a trash can, Seu-Rong made his way inside a small office building that barely took up a square piece of land that was squeezed in between two larger buildings.

Entering the locker-room to change, he nearly fell over when he felt a large hand slap his shoulder. "Seu-Rong, my boy! It's good seeing you up bright and early. Ready for another gruesome day at work?"

Seu-Rong sheepishly scratched at his cheek. Wondering to himself, 'Bob, where does your boundless energy come from?'

"Yes, sir! I promise to give it my all today!"

To make a living, Seu-Rong worked for a small mining company that was gracious enough to take him—seeing as there weren't many jobs who would accept him with an unfinished education. Only people who could obtain a high-school diploma by finishing school and graduated from college could work in big businesses, unlike Seu-Rong, who had to drop out after junior high so he could provide for both himself and his mother.

Soon the locker room became noisy when some of the other miners walked in and spotted the two.

"Oh, looks, guys, it's Bambi!" This loud insult came from Ralph, a burly blonde miner who had it out for Seu-Rong ever since he started working here—calling him Bambi due to his stick-like arms and legs, which didn't help much when it came to mining—dragging behind the others, which would cause them to be frustrated with him.

"Hey, Ralph, stop speaking down on the kid! At least he doesn't slack off like some people," Bob proudly defended Seu-Rong's honor, narrowing his eyes at Ralph. Bob was aware of Ralph and his gang, who would sometimes slack off on the job when no one paid attention.

A smirk of contempt marred Ralph's face. "Bob, what job? What work can those scrawny legs and arms do? Ha, don't make me laugh!" mocked Ralph, causing the other miners that walked in with him to laugh.

Bob grumbled something under his breath when Seu-Rong touched his arms. "Thanks for defending my honor, Bob. You didn't have to. I know I bring the team down." Nobody knew Seu-Rong's strengths and weaknesses better than himself, which was why Ralph's words did not hurt him. The only thing Seu-Rong could do to make sure others wouldn't look down on him was to try and do a better job.

"Listen here, kid, you got spark in ya! I sense great things lie in store for you. Plus, I know how much of a hard worker you are. It would be best if you didn't let people like Ralph walk all over you. There is a time to stay quiet, and there is time to stand up for yourself."

Bob's words of wisdom were etched deep in Seu-Rong's heart, knowing what the man said was true, but at the same time, questioning himself.

'There's nothing special about me. Yet why does Bob tend to think otherwise? Maybe if I was stronger, I can do as he said, but the current me is weak. In this world, only the strong are feared and respected while the weak stay in their lane with their head down.'

Putting on his mining uniform, Seu-Rong grabbed his tools and prepared himself for another day of hard, laborious work.

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